CIRCUS ART SPOTLIGHT

Today we are going to talk about the traditional versus the contemporary circus. Dolly, Antonio and Darren are all circus performers and coaches with very different backgrounds. Dolly comes from a traditional circus family, lived on the Ringling Brothers train and has been performing since she was 13. Antonio and Darren are former and current Cirque du Soleil performers without circus in their backgrounds. 

Coach Rikki Hettig-Rolfe Meaux takes a break from coaching at the CAC to talk to us about circus summer camp. The CAC was able to host a successful but much smaller summer camp in 2020. 2021 promises to be more similar to summer camps pre-pandemic and this unique program is a hit with both parents and campers!

Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Pedro Reis began circus training at the age of 12 at a local YMCA, developing his skills on the flying trapeze. He later went on to help found the first circus school in South Africa. Today he is going to tell us about the new organization the American Circus Alliance, a new organization dedicated to advocating for the circus arts in the U.S. 

Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Pedro Reis began circus training at the age of 12 at a local YMCA, developing his skills on the flying trapeze. He later went on to help found the first circus school in South Africa. Today he is going to tell us about the new organization the American Circus Alliance, a new organization dedicated to advocating for the circus arts in the U.S. 

Aaron Watkins email: Aaron@CircusArts.org website: CircusArts.org As a clown and magician, Aaron has laughed with people everywhere from The White House to China & the Middle East to the 3 rings of the Greatest Show On Earth & is a proud recipient of the Raoul Wallenberg Humanitarian Award for his work at the Big Apple Circus & Paul Newman's Hole-In-The-Wall Camp, where he served as Resident Clown Doctor. At The CAC he is The Circus Arts in Healthcare Program Manager. 

Antonio Moore email: Coach.Antonio@CircusArts.org website: CircusArts.org      Antonio is a new addition to The CAC staff. He grew up in Chicago competing in gymnastics & performing with the Triton Trooper Circus. He became a walk-on gymnast at the University of Illinois & has worked in many Cirque du Soleil shows! He most recently worked as a head coach & consultant for new projects for Cirque de Soleil. He also worked with Cirque Mechanics & as a stuntman in films & commercials.

Rikki Hettig-Rolfe Meaux, Education Associate, Program Manager and Coach at The Circus Arts Conservatory & Tonia Bichler, Training Programs Registrar email: Rikki@CircusArts.org website: CircusArts.org Rikki Hettig-Rolfe Meaux and Tonia Bichler both wear many hats at The CAC and are instrumental in the recreational offerings at The CAC. Today they'll be discussing all of the class and camp opportunities that are currently available and what we can expect for the future.  

Guest Name: Miguel Vargas, Circus Arts Conservatory Head Coach and Darren Trull, CAC Coach and Performer Website: https://circusarts.org/prevail-a-benefit-for-the-circus-arts/ Today we are going to be talking about PREVAIL - A Contemporary Circus Benefit Show featuring many artists that have previously performed with Cirque du Soleil. This show will be live in the Sailor Circus Arena in Sarasota in early March and will also be available as a digital show that you can watch from your home. Here to tell us all about Prevail is Miguel Vargas and Darren Trull.

Jon Griggs has been involved with the circus his whole life doing everything from performance to management. He is now the Arena Safety & Facilities Manager and a coach at the CAC - keeping us safe and passing his knowledge on to the next generation. 18 year-old Tommy Johnson has been in the Sailor Circus program for 8 years and is one of Jon's students.

Miguel Vargas and Jared Walker are both key players in producing Sailor Circus Academy shows. Miguel is the Sailor Circus Head Coach and Jared is the Creative Director. Together they have decades of experience in their fields. Today we'll hear about their takes on the upcoming Sailor Circus show - Season's Greetings.

Darren was a gymnast in Canada for 16 years & has an International Business degree from The John Molson School of Business in Montreal. In 2010 he joined Cirque Du Soleil and has performed in 3 Cirque Du Soleil shows & 2 Franco Dragone shows. His specialty is Aerial Straps, but he also performs Chinese Poles, Cradle, Parkour, Russian Swing, Bungees, Cyr Wheel, & more.

Karen Bell is the CAC Education Outreach Manager and Rikki Hettig-Rolfg Meaux is an Education Associate and Coach. Together, they are an integral part of the CAC Magnet programs for Middle and High Schools here in the Sarasota area. Today we are going to delve deeper into the management and student experience these programs provide.

With a name like SaSa, you know she comes from a family of performers – circus performers that is! Listen as SaSa recounts her family history of travelling the world performing in different acts and shows and how her experience led her to finally settle in Sarasota FL where she found her niche with The Circus Arts Conservatory.

We've spoken with Kelly Fairchild before but felt there was still a story to tell so I'm going to visit with her again today to learn more about her circus background. Kelly's mother's family, The Campas are one of Mexico's largest & oldest circus families and she grew up on travelling circuses, touring the United States & Canada at a young age. She now plays an integral part in the running of the CAC - her circus background helping in a myriad of ways.

We shine the light on CAC Co-Founder and Vice President Dolly Jacobs. Dolly was born into circus royalty – her father was Lou Jacobs, the legendary clown for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus® and her mother was a model in New York, who quickly transformed her career to become a circus artist as well. She is the first circus artist to ever receive the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship and is known world-wide as the “Queen of the Air.”

We shine the light on CAC Founder and President Pedro Reis. Hear about how he ran away and joined the circus as a teenager beginning his career as an international performer. Then we'll explore what inspired him to create Circus Sarasota and the Circus Arts Conservatory and finally, what he sees for the future of circus.

Miguel Trejo Vargas is a fifth-generation circus performer. He has been a flying trapeze artist since he was 7 years old. Most recently, he worked as a performer in Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba and then became an artist coach with La Nouba and other Cirque du Soleil shows. Soon he will be joining The CAC as the Sailor Circus Head Coach. Karen Bell is the CAC Outreach Education Manager and a Teaching Artist. She started her career as a clown with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and is the only female clown in the history of the show to have had a solo ring gag. Now she uses her talents to teach children science, physics and language arts in local elementary and middle schools.

Kelly was born to circus parents. Her Mother's family, The Campas are one of Mexico's largest & oldest circus families. Kelly grew up on travelling circuses, touring the United States & Canada before pausing to attend high school. After college, Kelly returned to the circus for a few years before deciding to stay in Sarasota working in circus administration, eventually becoming part of The CAC team.

Miguel Trejo Vargas is a fifth-generation circus performer. He has been a flying trapeze artist since he was 7 years old. Most recently, he worked as a performer in Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba and then became an artist coach with La Nouba and other Cirque du Soleil shows. Soon he will be joining The CAC as the Sailor Circus Head Training Coach.

Jennifer is the Executive Vice President of The CAC, having been with the organization for 12 years. Her work experience has stretched to the corners of the nation. Previously she served as the Executive Director of Miss America Teen Scholarship Pageant and organized cultural, professional and other events nationwide. Jennifer also served as Associate Director of Special Events and Alumni Relations at Ringling College of Art and Design.

Jennifer Lemmer Posey is Tibbals Curator of Circus at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. With research interests focused on the relationship of the circus arts, mass media, and popular culture, she has contributed to many publications and journals. She has also served as Editor for Bandwagon, the Journal of the Circus Historical Society & was an Advisory Scholar for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 2017.

Grant is a Sailor Circus Alumni who was with the program for 12 years! He's still a circus devotee who returns every January to help us with the “Marvelous Miraculous Circus Machine” – an arts integrated Education Outreach program offered to 5th grade classes. These students have been studying concepts brought to life in this incredible presentation.

Jon Griggs has been with the circus his whole life! He attended the Ringling Bros. Clown College and then became a performer with the circus where he eventually worked his way up the ranks to become General Manager of the Gold Unit. In addition to juggling, Jon walks on stilts, was a catcher for the flying trapeze and is an amazing coach at the Sailor Circus Academy.

Olga Coronas is a wife, mother & professional aerialist. She's traveled the world on her circus artistry & now coaches silks at the Sailor Circus Arena. She joins us with two of her students, Maria Martellacci Reimann, 50 and Sharon Gresham, 60. Both have been practicing the silks for over 4 years & have become certified trainers. Hear their inspiring stories – you'll want to try a class too!

Today we shine the spotlight on Jared Walker. Jared has been involved in the theater as an actor, director, choreographer and designer, most recently as the Costume Manager and Summer Camp Director for The Players Theatre in Sarasota, FL. He has spent over 25 years honing his craft and loves working with the Sailor Circus Academy students developing the themes and costumes for all their shows.

As a child, Al Calienes would peer over a neighborhood fence in Brooklyn trying to view the Big Apple Circus as it setup. The excitement of those days stuck with him and at the age of 26 he decided to join the circus himself. Through hard work, a willingness to learn and passion for his chosen profession, the Remarkable Renaldo was born.

Today we shine the light on Henry Barragan. Henry is a founding member of Circus Sarasota now The CAC. He began working with Pedro and Dolly in 1998 to help launch and support the very first performances of Circus Sarasota under the Big Top. Henry comes from a circus family and spent many years working with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Baily Circus.

Marcia loves all things Circus Arts Conservatory and has been volunteering with us for many years – even recruiting her daughters to work with us too! Every February when the Big Top goes up Marcia takes over, running the volunteer ushers as a well-oiled machine. The performers depend on her local knowledge and our guest Ringmasters depend on her for guidance.

A star of Bauer's Circus Maximus and a 15th generation member of one of Switzerland's oldest circus families, Joseph Bauer has circus in his blood and is used to being in the spotlight. He will once again grace the Circus Sarasota stage as Ringmaster for the 2020 shows presenting artists from across the globe.

We shine the light on CAC Co-Founder and Vice President Dolly Jacobs. Dolly was born into circus royalty – her father was Lou Jacobs, the legendary clown for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus® and her mother was a model in New York, who quickly transformed her career to become a circus artist as well. She is the first circus artist to ever receive the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship and is known world-wide as the “Queen of the Air.”

We turn the spotlight on Tegan Allen, a Sailor Circus Senior who has been with the program 7 years. Tegan specializes in being a Ringmistress and walks the high wire among other acts and is getting ready to graduate in the spring. She'll be telling us of her journey through the Sailor Circus Academy and what she hopes to accomplish in the future

With a name like SaSa, you know she comes from a family of performers – circus performers that is! Listen as SaSa recounts her family history of travelling the world performing in different acts and shows and how her experience led her to finally settle in Sarasota FL where she found her niche with The Circus Arts Conservatory.

Rikki Hettig-Rolfe Meaux wears many hats at the CAC and is a professional aerialist in her free time – if she can find any! We'll shine the spotlight on her many talents as well as hearing about what drew her to the circus arts and how they've led her down the many paths she has followed in life.

Andres Leon Miller is a man of many talents. As a graduate of The Sailor Circus Academy, performance is in his blood. Andres has a passion for and understanding of the circus and shares his enthusiasm with the students he coaches. Hear him talk about how circus has affected his life and how you, too, can fly through the air with the greatest of ease.

Before joining the Circus Arts Conservatory to manage the Circus Arts in Healthcare program, Aaron Watkins was the Dean of Students at Ringling's famed Clown College and served as the Resident Clown Doctor at the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. Join us as we shine the spotlight on this thoughtful and interesting funny man.

This week the spotlight shines on CAC Education Manager and Teaching Artist Karen Bell. Karen started her career as a clown with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and is the only female clown in the history of the show to have had a solo ring gag. Now she uses her talents to teach children science, physics and language arts in local elementary and middle schools.

We shine the light on CAC Founder and President Pedro Reis. Hear about how he ran away and joined the circus as a teenager beginning his career as an international performer. Then we'll explore what inspired him to create Circus Sarasota and the Circus Arts Conservatory and finally, what he sees for the future of circus.